


Run Boy Run

by to-a-merrier-world (wayward_wolves)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Action, Aliens, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I Am Number Four AU, M/M, Name Changes, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Keith (Voltron), Secret Identity, Secrets, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-26 14:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13237779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wayward_wolves/pseuds/to-a-merrier-world
Summary: There used to be eight of them. Number One died in an alleyway in Lagos. Number Two was taken down on an uninhabited island off the coast of Australia. Number Three was hunted down deep in the Amazon rainforest. Number Four almost made it—he was murdered on a high school’s football field in Ohio.Now, there are four of them left. And they’re coming for him next.Keith is Number Five.(aka the I Am Number Four AU no one asked for)





	Run Boy Run

**Author's Note:**

> This has been in the works for a long time, so I'm really excited to finally share the first chapter!
> 
> I'd like to give special thanks to Sunny (kcgane) and Madi (shirogane-s) for being amazing betas. Y'all rock!
> 
> Note: In case it's not immediately apparent, Akira is Keith. This is a nod to the original series. He will only be Akira for this chapter. Also, Jin is Thace and will begin going by Thace in the next chapter. In this AU, Thace is not Galra, but the same species as Keith (who is not part-Galra in this AU) and therefore looks like a human. 
> 
> Additional Note: No prior knowledge of "I Am Number Four" (book or movie) is needed to read this! Everything will be explained as the story unfolds, I promise:)
> 
> The title is from the song "Run Boy Run" by Woodkid, which is also like the theme song of this fic.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

** Prologue **

The boy’s sneakers squeaked on the linoleum floor as he made a sharp turn, racing towards the exit.

 _Out,_ his mind screamed. _I need to get_ out.

Moments later, he burst through the back doors of the high school and onto the pavement of the empty parking lot. He whipped his head around wildly, looking for something— _anything—_ that could help him.

 _There!_ Just beyond the parking lot and football field, a thick outcropping of trees ran the perimeter of the school.

 _If I can just make it to the trees…!_ he thought.

He put on a burst of speed—running faster than any human could—and crossed the parking lot in seconds.

When his feet hit grass, he began to hope. The only thing he could hear was his own heavy panting in the chilly October air. The night was eerily quiet, as though even the insects were aware of the danger around them. If he could just make it to the forest, he might just survive.

 _Almost_ , the boy thought, crossing the 30 yard line.

Almost.

But not quite.

An object came flying out of the darkness to the boy’s left, moving too fast for him to dodge. It hit his legs and wrapped around them, tying his legs together and sending him to the ground.

He hit the ground hard, something snapping when he landed. He cried out as pain raced up his right arm, but he didn’t have time to worry about injuries. He needed to get away. _Now_.

He scrambled onto his back and sat up, gritting his teeth against the pain and grabbing at the metal rope wrapped around his legs.

“You cannot escape.”

The boy looked up in fear, his gaze landing on the large creature walking towards him.

They stood at least 8 feet tall, legs and arms seemingly too long for the rest of their body. A hood covered their face, shrouding them in darkness. Moonlight glinted off the wicked blade they held in a huge, clawed hand.

Panic rising in his chest, the boy ripped the rope off and sat up on his knees, throwing his left hand forward in one fluid motion. Blinding yellow light erupted from his outstretched palm and engulfed the creature.

Agonized screams filled the air, but the boy didn’t pull his hand away. Light continued radiating from his palm until the screaming stopped, and when the light faded, all that was left of his assailant was a pile of ash.

The boy fell forward onto his left hand, his right cradled against his chest. His breath rattled in his chest on each panicked inhale, and his face was covered in sweat.

He’d used too much power. He had to escape _now_ , there was no way he could fight another.

He clenched his jaw and pushed himself to his feet, tears pricking his eyes when he jolted his injured arm. He stumbled over the first steps, but quickly found a pace he could keep, his eyes glued to the tree line.

 _Almost_ , the boy thought desperately.

Almost.

But not quite.

He registered the squelching sound of metal piercing flesh a fraction of a second before unbearable pain erupted in his chest.

He looked down, vision blurring, to see five points sticking out from his torso, blood dripping from the tips. He tried to cry out, but all that came up was a sputtering cough and blood.

“Your annihilation…,” a deep voice purred, hot breath ghosting against the back of his neck.

The boy was lifted up, his feet leaving the ground and gravity forcing the points deeper into his flesh. No… not points. Claws. Huge, metal claws.

“…was always inevitable.”

The creature clenched the metal hand buried inside the boy’s chest into a fist. Before a single drop of blood could hit the ground, the boy dissolved into sparkling ash that was blown away by the gentle wind, along with the remnants of his final gasping breath.

The creature lowered his arm and slowly opened his fist to reveal a small, flat stone with a whirlpool-like marking carved into its surface. A sadistic approximation of a smile spread across the creature’s face, elongated fangs glinting in the moonlight.

His head wasn’t covered as the others’ had been. Any unfortunate enough to witness the slaughter could see: this was no human.

 “Commander Sendak.”

Three of the creatures came to a stop behind him. Only a twitch of Sendak’s ear indicated he was listening as he continued to examine the small stone in his hand. Two of the three had their faces obscured by pointed, bird-like masks, while the third—the one who’d spoken—had his head uncovered and stood apart from the other two.

The third member bowed his head towards the Commander, awaiting his orders.

After a moment, Sendak turned towards his subordinate.

“Haxus,” he said, voice commanding yet pleased with his latest kill. “Number Four is dead. Begin preparations for our departure.”

“Vrepit sa,” Haxus responded. He placed his fist to his chest before turning and breaking into a run to begin preparations, and, of course, to spread the news of Sendak’s latest victory.

Sneering, Sendak slowly turned to address the remaining two.

“Druids,” he growled, before tossing the small stone to one of them, their hand flashing forward and catching it with ease. “I believe the witch has use for this.”

The druids looked at each other a moment before turning, disappearing in the shadow of the scoreboard without a word.

Sendak snorted disdainfully and looked up at the moon hanging full in the sky. The air was quiet and still around him—no creature dared to make a sound.

There was a quiet beep and Sendak reached into his armor, pulling out a compact device with a blinking purple light. He flipped it open and a holographic image popped up, a face mostly obscured by a spiked helmet appearing before him.

“Emperor Zarkon,” Sendak greeted, bowing his head in deference.

“Commander,” Zarkon replied gruffly, his voice slightly distorted by the device. “Report.”

“Sire.” Sendak lifted his head to look at the Emperor’s hologram. “I have successfully killed the Fourth and handed its energy stone over to the druids.”

“Good. Haggar will soon be able to pinpoint the last known location for the Fifth. You will travel to those coordinates and proceed with the next hunt from there.”

“I will not fail you,” Sendak replied, placing his fist on his chest and bowing his head. “Vrepit sa!”

“Vrepit sa.”

With that, his image disappeared.

Sendak shut the device and returned it to a hidden compartment in his armor. He then turned and began making his way across the football field in the direction Haxus had run. His gait resembled that of a lion stalking its prey: slow, fluid, and filled with deadly potential.

“So,” Sendak growled to himself, a sadistic grin splitting across his face and fangs flashing in the moonlight.

“The hunt begins again.”

** Chapter 1 **

“Yo! Akira!”

Akira stopped on the way to his locker and turned towards the voice. It was Sean and… he couldn’t remember the name of the other boy with him. Roger? Rick?

“What’s up?” he asked, adjusting his backpack strap to rest higher on his shoulder. He moved to the side of the hallway to stay out of the way of after-school traffic.

Sean and… Riley? came over to Akira, offering their fists to be bumped, which he obliged.

“You’re going to Amy’s party tonight, right?” Sean asked hopefully, raising his eyebrows.

“Uhh…,” Akira said, stifling a grimace.

Shit. He’d forgotten to create an excuse for why he couldn’t go. Usually, he relied on his guardian, Jin, asking him to do something for him so he wouldn’t have to lie. He hated lying, despite how necessary it was.  

Making friends was always hard for Akira, even without the knowledge that he’d have to drop everything and leave at a moment’s notice, never to contact any of them again. It made Akira feel guilty for always saying no to any party or weekend hangout. After all, Sean was a genuinely nice guy, even if he was kind of pushy and crass sometimes.

Unfortunately, Jin hardly ever allowed any unnecessary trips out of the house, other than what was required to maintain their front of a “normal family.”

Right. Normal.

“Oh, come on, man!” Sean whined when Akira took too long to answer. Sean slumped forward, bringing his face level with Akira’s.

“You never come out with us, dude. Your Dad’s got to let you go out _sometimes_ , right?”

 _Not my dad_ , Akira corrected silently. Not that Sean knew that.

“I…” Akira trailed off, not sure how to counter that. Even strict parents let their kids out sometimes… right? Akira didn’t really know, only having American TV shows as his models. What would a normal teenager do in this situation?

“Ryan, come on, help me out here,” Sean said, nudging the guy next to him.

 _Ryan! That’s his name!_ Akira thought, the name ringing a bell.

“Uh, it would be cool if you came. I’d-uh, I mean- _we’d_ love to hang out with you outside of school,” Ryan said, sounding embarrassed.

“Ah…,” Akira said, giving Ryan an appraising look.

He hadn’t realized he’d left any kind of impression on the guy, only remembering a handful of conversations they’d had. It made him feel a bit guilty for not remembering the guy’s name.

“Real convincing, Ryan,” Sean snickered behind his hand, probably not intending for Akira to hear him. Which, if he’d been human, he probably wouldn’t have.

Ryan elbowed Sean in the side, giving him an irritated look before turning back towards Akira.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” Ryan said hesitantly. “But it’ll probably be fun?”

Akira sucked in a breath, an excuse on the tip of his tongue for why he couldn’t go. It was a bad idea, anyways. What would he even do at a party? He barely knew what to do with himself at lunch.

_But…_

“I…,” Akira began then stopped, biting his lip. “I’ll talk to J- my Dad. If he’s okay with it, then… yeah.”

_He wanted to know what it was like to be normal. To be human._

“You have to ask your Da-,” Sean started to ask, but Ryan interrupted him with an elbow to the side before turning and giving Akira a small smile.

“Cool,” he said, before digging in his backpack and pulling out a crinkled slip of paper. “Here’s her address, if he says yes.”

Akira took the sheet of paper, which was covered in doodles of hands and mini tornadoes. An address was scribbled in the top right corner.

“Thanks,” Akira said, returning Ryan’s smile.

Sean looked between them, a grin slowly spreading across his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but Ryan grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him down the hall.

“See you later, Akira,” Ryan called over his shoulder, Sean squawking at the rough treatment.

“Hopefully, I mean,” he amended with a shy smile, before turning back to argue with Sean.

For a moment, Akira watched them in confusion, not fully understanding what exactly just happened. He’d been living with humans for nearly 14 years now and yet they still managed to be a mystery half the time.

Looking back down at the piece of paper in his hand, Akira frowned. He’d never been to a party before—Jin had only started loosening his vice grip on Akira’s life when he began training him seriously about two years ago. While he still didn’t like letting Akira out of the house for long, he’d started trusting him with more distance. Especially since they hadn’t had a Galra scare in over two years.

Akira folded the paper into a square and stuck it in his pocket, ignoring the phantom pain in his calf from the old memories. He made his way to his locker and quickly put all of his belongings into his backpack. The weight was familiar after having gotten used to keeping pretty much everything on him at all times.

He was always ready to run.

He closed his locker and then headed to the side of the school where Jin would be waiting to pick him up.

When Akira stepped out the side door, a heavy heat instantly surrounded him and he had to squint against the bright Florida sun. It was late October, but apparently no one ever told Florida what seasons were.

Parked across the street was Jin’s grey pick-up truck. It was a few years old, and had obvious signs of use, but didn’t look run down. While never sparklingly clean, it was also never dirty. Generic, inconspicuous, ordinary.

Just the way Jin liked it.

Akira jogged over to the truck, hopping in after tossing his backpack at his feet. As soon as Akira had his seatbelt secured, Jin put the truck into drive and pulled away from the curb. He did it all without saying a word to Akira. It was nothing unusual for them—Jin, much like Akira himself, preferred the quiet.

“So…,” Akira started after a few minutes of silence had passed.

Jin turned his head slightly towards Akira, lifting an inquisitive brow while keeping his eyes on the road. He was a stickler for safe driving practices. Akira would know, Jin was the one who’d taught him how to drive three years ago.

Akira took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was probably going to be a very difficult conversation.

“Uh, so there’s this party tonight,” Akira started.

Jin hummed in acknowledgment.

“It’s, uh, at a girl named Amy’s house. Amy Fuentes. She’s in my pre-calc class. I’ve told you about her before, I think. She’s the one I did that graphing project with?” Akira said, glancing at Jin, who nodded.

“Anyways, Sean and Ryan asked me to go with them.” He pulled the sheet of paper with the address out of his pocket. “To Amy’s party.”

“Who’s Ryan?” Jin asked, putting on his blinker as he approached an intersection.

Akira had to hold back a groan. Jin’s penchant to remember literally every detail Akira ever mentioned about his life outside, well, Jin could be really frustrating. Akira was 18 years old for goodness sake, he didn’t need a babysitter.

“A guy I eat lunch with. He’s nice.” Akira wasn’t sure why he added that last detail. It wasn’t really necessary.

Well, it wasn’t a lie. Ryan _was_ nice.

“Hmm,” Jin hummed as they pulled onto the street they lived on. It was a dead end road that wound through a small wooded area just outside of city limits. There were only two houses on the street, one on each side and tucked away from the road to where you couldn’t even see them.

Private, just the way Jin liked it.

“So…” Akira prompted when Jin still hadn’t said anything. “Can I go?”

Jin turned into their driveway and rolled to a stop at the side of their house. He had a considering look on his face for a moment before he nodded to himself and cut the engine.

“I don’t see why not.”

“Seriously?” Akira asked, not quite believing that it could _really_ be that easy.

“Yes,” Jin said, turning away to open the door and get out of the truck. “I’ll be coming with you, of course.”

“Wha-?” Akira stuttered as Jin shut the door behind him and started to walk towards the house. Akira scrambled to get out of the car, only just remembering to grab his backpack from the floor. He jogged after Jin and into the house. A small, reddish lizard that had been sunbathing on the wall scurried behind a window shutter when he threw the door open a little too hard.

“What do you mean you’re coming with me?” Akira asked incredulously.

Jin was already at his wall of computers, each screen showing something different. He was checking the screen on the far left, which showed a continual feed of social media and news reports with key words like “suspicious figures,” “masked men,” and “large men.” Akira just called it the Galra Sighting News, which usually didn’t turn up much of anything. The Galra were just as good at hiding as they were, usually. But Jin believed there was no such thing as being too cautious.

“I mean what I said,” Jin said, typing something on another screen. “If you go to this party, then I’m going with you.”

Akira stared at Jin for a moment, trying to gauge if he was being serious. But, of course, Jin was always being serious.

“Having my ‘Dad’,” Akira used air quotes, something he’d picked up from old American sitcoms. “Come with me to my first party would be _way_ worse than just not going at all!”

Jin’s mouth tightened before he snorted and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like “teenagers” under his breath. He looked back up at Akira and gave him a more reassuring look.

“I won’t actually go in with you. I’ll just wait in my truck further down the street and text you every half hour to make sure you’re okay.”

Akira stared, not breaking eye contact with his guardian. He couldn’t believe the words coming out of Jin’s mouth. “You can’t be serious.”

Jin frowned, confused. “What do you mean?”

Akira looked at him like he was completely missing something. He wasn’t entirely sure why this was suddenly so important or why he was getting so upset, but he knew that Jin was being unreasonable.

“Jin. This is a party for _high schoolers_ , not a den of criminals! Nothing’s gonna happen! And I’m _18_ , for fuck’s sake, you don’t need to constantly hover over me!”

Jin turned to face Akira and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Akira’s stomach dropped and he knew without a doubt that he’d just lost this argument.

“It’s that, or no party,” Jin said, voice filled with all the authority he knew he had.

Akira pressed his lips together, willing himself not to yell in frustration, before turning away and stomping out of the room.

“I guess that means no party, then,” Jin called after him. Akira answered by slamming his bedroom door behind him. He knew it was childish, but it still made him feel a little better.

Akira dropped his back pack in his desk chair and sprawled out on his un-made bed, sighing as a stared at the ceiling. He hadn’t even wanted to go to the party that bad, but the second Jin had said yes, it suddenly felt like something incredibly important. He was surprised by how… disappointed he felt.

He’d never had the opportunity to be anything even approaching a normal teenager, which he was usually fine with since he _wasn’t_ a normal teenager. He wasn’t even human. But… going to a party on a Friday night with some of the people from his school, getting to pretend he was just like anyone else for a night? Akira admitted that it sounded nice.

Not that he really had anything to compare it to. It would’ve been fun though, right?  

Akira laid on his bed for a while, lost in his head trying to figure out how he felt about all this. He was conflicted, more than anything. He knew Jin only wanted to protect him, but Akira also thought he was being too extreme and more than a little unfair.

It’d been two years since the last scar showed up on his leg, his third one. Things had been quiet since, and they had been careful, making sure to lay low and keep moving. Akira didn’t see how going to one little party could possibly put them at risk.

Akira was so lost in thought that he nearly jumped off his bed at the sudden buzzing sound coming from his backpack, loud in the otherwise quiet room. He got up from his bed and rummaged through his backpack, finally pulling out the disposable phone Jin had gotten him. He flipped it open and read a text from Sean.

 **Sean [sent 4:21pm]:** yo akira! what ur dad say???

Akira bit his lip and slowly typed out his response. Disposable flip phones weren’t very easy to text on.

 **Akira [sent 4:24pm]:** He said no.

 **Sean [sent 4:24pm]:** :(((( thats so uncool man

 **Sean [sent 4:25pm]:** u sure u cant sneak out???? i can pick u up!!!!! B)

Akira stared at the messages for a moment. _Sneak out?_ Sure, he’d seen lots of teens in TV shows do it, but he’d never considered it himself. It was dangerous, especially since Jin wouldn’t know where he was.

Not to mention all the sensors, cameras, and alarms Jin had set up around their house that would surely catch Akira if Jin himself didn’t. The odds of him being able to sneak out without being caught weren’t good. Unless…

There technically _was_ a way that Akira could sneak past the Jin’s security measures. Jin had showed him how all of his detection equipment worked when Akira was 13, and he’d immediately started trying to find a way to get around them, as any bored teenager would.

It had been on a hot summer day when Akira was 15 years old, alone, and bored out of his mind that he’d figured out a way to make a feedback loop on some of the sensors and cameras. He could only do it for a max of 7 seconds without tripping the internal alarms that notified Jin when equipment malfunctioned, but a lot could happen in 7 seconds.

Especially when you’re a super-powered, alien teenager.

 **Akira [sent 4:31pm]:** Meet me in the McDonald’s parking lot on 4 th at 9pm

 **Sean [sent 4:33pm]:** HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!

~

Akira jogged down the road, backpack bouncing off his back as he made his way towards the brightly lit McDonald’s parking lot. He came to a stop at the intersection and waited for a lull in traffic to cross.

It had turned out to be pretty easy for Akira to sneak out for the first time in his life. He’d gone straight to his room after dinner and gotten ready for the party, packing a bag with an extra outfit and slipping into bed to wait until Jin went to sleep.

Jin had gone to bed at 8pm, like clockwork. Akira had waited a solid 30 minutes before he’d crept out of his room and set the system up on a timed feedback loop along the fastest route off their property and to the main road.

He’d thrown on a mostly-black outfit, just in case he was a little too slow for the cameras, covering most of his face with a black bandana.

At the exact moment when the feedback loop had started, Akira had raced off the porch, legs moving faster than any human’s could. When he’d reached the main road, he’d slowed down to a more humanly possible speed. Twenty minutes later, and now he was here.

When there was a lull in traffic, Akira jogged across the road towards the McDonald’s. He spotted Sean’s car fairly quickly, recognizing its myriad of bumper stickers and window decals, as well as the loud pop music he could hear coming from inside. He walked to the front passenger window and peered in, seeing Sean bopping his head and mouthing the words to some song on the radio.

Akira tapped on the glass, causing Sean to startle. When he recognized Akira, he unlocked the door and turned the music down.

“Yo, man,” Sean said with a sheepish smile. “I didn’t recognize you with the dark hood at first. Thought I was about to get mugged.”

“Ha, sorry,” Akira said, pushing his hood back and climbing into the car.

“I get that the whole all-black thing is a must for proper sneaking out, but please tell me you’re wearing something under that,” Sean said, looking Akira up and down. “Amy lives in a real nice neighborhood and people tend to dress up for her parties.”

Akira took in Sean’s nice jeans and bright blue, short-sleeved button down shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes. He’d also put something in his hair, making it go from a blond, unruly mess to, well, less of a mess.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in anything nicer than a clean t-shirt,” Akira commented jokingly.

“Ha ha, ‘kira,” Sean said flatly, blushing a bit.

“No no, man. You look nice,” Akira said earnestly, not wanting Sean to feel bad. “Really.”

“Uh, ha, thanks.” Sean re-adjusted his seatbelt self-consciously as the song changed on the radio to some 80s ballad. “Anyways, seriously, did you bring something else to wear?”

“Ha, yeah,” Akira said, pulling off his hoodie and the black bandana he was still wearing around his neck. Underneath, he was wearing a fitted black t-shirt. It was actually a bit too small for him, since he’d had it for several years and had gained muscle since he’d bought it. It was very soft from being washed numerous times, though, so he’d kept it.

“Wow,” Sean said as Akira bent forward to stuff the bandana and hoodie in his backpack in exchange for a red and white varsity jacket. He’d picked up from a thrift store back when he’d lived in El Paso.

“What?” Akira asked, raising an eyebrow at Sean’s staring.

“I didn’t know you had muscles,” Sean said, looking at Akira’s arm in surprise.

“Uh, that wasn’t a come on,” he added.

Rolling his eyes, Akira put on the jacket.

“Thanks? I think,” he said as he adjusted his collar, eyebrows scrunched together.

“Yup,” Sean said, popping the ‘p’ at the end. He pulled out his phone and started typing something, screen tilted away from Akira’s view, while Akira zipped up his backpack and pulled on his seatbelt.

Sean stuck his phone back into his jeans pocket when he heard the click of Akira’s seatbelt and threw his car into drive.

“Let’s get goin’, man,” he said with renewed excitement. “Your first party! This is gonna be awesome!”

Akira smiled at Sean’s enthusiasm and leaned back in his chair as Sean turned the music back up and started singing along. He looked out the window as they pulled out onto the road, biting his lip anxiously. He was a bit worried about Jin finding out he’d disappeared and freaking out, but he decided to push that out of his mind.

Tonight, he was going to be just like any other normal teenager.

~

Loud. That was pretty much the only word Akira could think of to describe the party. That, and crowded.

Akira found himself tucked into a random corner, a drink he didn’t remember being handed remaining untouched in his hand.

Despite Sean’s enthusiasm for Akira to experience his first party, the moment they’d entered Amy’s house he’d disappeared into the throng of people, shouting greetings and giving enthusiastic pats on the back, leaving Akira all on his own.

He only vaguely recognized about half the faces he saw, and none of them were people he’d ever spoken to or whose names he knew.

He didn’t feel… _uncomfortable_ , per se—more awkward than anything, really. He wasn’t sure what to do with himself, other than stand back and watch as everyone else moved around each other, dancing and talking and drinking questionable substances while upbeat music with a pounding bass played in the background.

He looked down at his mystery drink and contemplated how stupid it would be to actually try some of it.

“Akira,” someone said to his left, slightly out of breath and a bit too loud, since the music died down the moment they spoke.

Akira looked up to find Ryan smiling down at him. Akira gave a smile of his own, embarrassingly relieved at finally seeing a friendly face.

“Hey,” he half-shouted back, the music having picked back up again.

“You wanna go somewhere quieter?” Ryan shout-asked, gesturing vaguely behind him.

Akira nodded enthusiastically, and he followed in Ryan’s wake as he made his way through the crowd, people parting around him in a way that they never did for Akira.

Ryan led him to a wall of glass that looked out over Amy’s backyard, which was lit up by twinkling lights. When they walked out through a glass door to the side, there was an immediate drop in noise level, from a roar to a quiet murmur. They weren’t the only ones who’d decided to retreat to somewhere less noisy. Others were standing or sitting around on the various patio furniture, talking amongst themselves.

Ryan walked over to an empty loveseat in the corner of the patio, closest to the grass, and settled down. He looked up at Akira and patted the seat next to him expectantly.

Akira took a careful seat, setting his backpack on the ground.

“This is much better, huh,” Ryan said, laughing slightly.

Akira chuckled. “Yeah, thanks. I don’t think I could have made it through the crowd without you. I probably would’ve been crushed.”

Ryan laughed, throwing his head back. “You’re not _that_ small.”

Akira just raised an eyebrow at him—Ryan had nearly a foot on Akira.

“Okay, so maybe you were kinda hard to find,” Ryan admitted.

“You were looking for me?” Akira couldn’t keep the surprise he felt out of his voice.

“Oh, um, yeah,” Ryan said, rubbing the back of his neck. “You and Sean, I mean.”

“Oh.” _That makes sense_ , Akira thought. “Sean got sucked into the crowd the moment we got here. I haven’t seen him since, actually.”

“Have you been alone since you got here?” Ryan asked, sounding oddly concerned.

“Pretty much? At some point, someone gave me a drink,” Akira said, lifting the red solo cup still in his hand. “I’m still not sure what’s in it.”

Ryan laughed. “Maybe don’t drink that one, then.”

Akira shrugged and placed it on the side table behind him.

“I can… go get you a drink? If you want one?” Ryan asked, already starting to stand.

“No, I’m, uh. I’m good,” Akira said.

Ryan sat back down with a quiet thump and they both sat in silence for a while, Ryan nodding his head slightly to the muffled music coming from inside. Akira wasn’t sure what to say next. He couldn’t remember a single conversation he’d had with Ryan that wasn’t either about the food at lunch or whether he’d done the homework. He hated small talk, had never quite gotten the hang of it.

“So,” Ryan finally said, breaking the silence. “Some party, huh?”

Akira laughed awkwardly. “Oh, uh, yeah.”

“Sorry your first party isn’t…” Ryan gestured vaguely. Akira assumed he was supposed to fill in that blank himself, but he didn’t have any idea what Ryan was getting at.

“It’s not… that bad,” he offered.

“Not really a party guy?” Ryan asked.

“No idea. This is my first one.”

“Oh. Right.”

They lapsed into silence again, and Akira wondered if he’d ever get the hang of talking to anyone his own age. Talking to teachers was simple enough—ask or answer a question, occasionally offer an opinion in class—and talking to Jin was easy since he didn’t have to lie about a huge chunk of his life. But with people his age?

Akira felt like he was expected to say or do specific things, and when he didn’t do them or said the wrong thing, people would get upset with him. It felt like everyone was working by the same set of rules, but no one had bothered giving Akira the rule book.

“Listen, Akira,” Ryan said, breaking their silence.

Akira turned his head to listen. He sounded nervous, for some reason, and Akira wondered if he was about to tell him that he’d rather go hang out with other people at the party. Akira wouldn’t blame him, he wasn’t really the best conversationalist.

Ryan took a deep breath before turning to look at Akira, a determined look in his eye.

“Akira,” he started, tone serious. “I-“

An intense, sharp pain suddenly shot up from Akira’s left calf, causing his entire body to tense up, a gasp slipping out before he clenched his teeth. _Oh no._

“Are… you okay?” Ryan asked, lifting his hand uncertainly to touch his shoulder.

Akira shot out of his seat before he could touch him, the pain in his leg rapidly going from sharp to burning. _Nononononono-_

“Bathroom,” he managed through clenched teeth.

Ryan had stood with him and was now looking at Akira with a mixture of confusion and concern.

“Um, I think there’s one past the kitchen,” Ryan said, pointing towards the glass doors. “Are you sick or-“

“Thanks,” Akira managed to bite out, only just keeping enough presence of mind to grab his backpack before he nearly sprinted into the house.

He rushed through the house, pushing people out of the way if he had to. The pain in his leg intensified, and if Akira didn’t hurry, he might end up collapsing in the middle of the party. He couldn’t let that happen.

He finally made it to the bathroom after what felt like an hour, but had likely only been a minute. Panic seized his chest when he saw the small line formed outside the bathroom door.

He almost turned to go wildly looking for another bathroom when the door opened and Sean walked out. He noticed Akira almost immediately and lifted his hand to wave, but Akira pushed past him and the girl who was next in line for the bathroom, frantically locking the door behind him.

He immediately collapsed onto the ground, the pain in his leg so intense he could barely keep himself from crying out in agony. He ignored the banging on the bathroom door, barely registering both Sean and Ryan’s voices. His hands were shaking as tried to open his backpack to get to his phone, his mind yelling at him, _Jin Jin, I need Jin_.

By the time he got his phone out, his hands were shaking so badly that he ended up dropping it. When he reached for it, the pain in his leg suddenly shot upwards into his chest, burning through him like fire, and he couldn’t hold back his cry of agony this time.

He was on his side, curled into the fetal position as he waited for the pain to ebb, even a little. When the pain didn’t lessen, the flesh on his calf feeling as though it were actually being burned off with a hot iron, he forced himself to move through the pain. He rolled onto his stomach, tears gathering in his eyes and flowing down his cheeks as he reached a shaking hand towards where his phone had fallen.

He grasped it and eventually got it open after several desperate tries with feeble, unsteady hands. He let out a choked off sob when the pain somehow intensified, black beginning to fill his vision as he tried to press 1 to dial Jin’s number.

His hands were shaking so badly now that he could no longer keep a hold on his phone, and it clattered to the floor next to Akira’s head. He wasn’t sure if he’d been able to dial Jin’s number, the pain too intense at this point for Akira to think about anything other than wishing it would end.

Suddenly, the room was being filled with a bright, blue light. Akira’s vision was filled by the blinding light, every nerve in his body seeming to light up in pain all at once.

Then everything went dark.

~

Akira came to slowly. He first became aware of the fact that he was lying on his back on what felt like a couch. There was a slight ache in his limbs, the kind he usually got after pushing himself a too hard in training. Eventually, he registered the soft light behind his eyelids, and the sound of someone moving around near him.

Suddenly, his memories from last night came rushing back to him and his eyes flew open with a stifled gasp.

“You’re awake.”

Akira turned his head to the side so quickly he felt something pop and looked up at his guardian.

“Jin,” he rasped. Jin walked over, bringing a glass of water with him which he held out for Akira.

Akira pushed himself up into a sitting position before taking the glass from Jin. He relished the feeling of relief the water brought, not having realized just how dry his mouth and throat were until he’d tried to speak.

“What happened?” Akira asked after he’d downed the whole glass.

Jin moved to a chair beside the couch, and it was then that Akira noticed the rest of the room. Jin’s computers had been packed away in their boxes, and their wires were sitting to the side, ready to be wrapped up and put into their own box. Akira knew, without having to ask, what was coming next.

“I got your call,” Jin said, looking down at his hands and not meeting Akira’s eyes. “And I found the address to the party in your room. When I got there, there were a lot of drunk kids standing around outside the bathroom you’d locked yourself in. I was able to pick the lock, and fortunately it was already over and you were unconscious.

“I told them you’d had an allergic reaction and that you’d passed out after administering the EpiPen. For those who’d seen the light under the door, I told them you’d accidentally turned on a flashlight you kept with you in your rush to find your EpiPen. Then, I carried you out of the party and took you home.”

Akira pulled his legs to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

“Number Four is dead,” he said. It wasn’t a question, but Jin answered him anyway.

“Yes.”

“I’m next, then.” His voice sounded small. Vulnerable.

Jin finally looked at Akira, his face unreadable save for his expressive eyes. Fear, disappointment, determination.

“We’re leaving,” Jin said. “I’ve already got the truck packed up, and I want us to at least make it the Carolinas by night fall.”

Jin stood and moved the chair back to the table it usually sat at. All of the furniture had come with the house they were renting, and they always just bought anything else they needed, only taking clothes, Jin’s security equipment and weapons, and the small Altean chest Jin had brought with him to Earth.

Akira took a moment to simply look at Jin. He hadn’t mentioned anything about being angry at or disappointed in Akira for sneaking out last night, but he knew Jin must’ve been terrified to get that call from Akira. After all, _Akira_ had been terrified.

“I’ll give you time to shower, but then we need to get on the road,” Jin said, going back to packing up his computers. “I left you a change of clothes in the bathroom.”

Akira nodded at Jin’s back and stood up slowly before walking towards the bathroom. He paused at the door leading out of the living room, though, and looked back at Jin. He couldn’t leave things as they were.

“… Jin?” He asked, and waited until Jin turned to look at him.

“I’m sorry.”

Jin studied his face for a moment before nodding, his eyes going soft. “I know.”

Akira nodded and then continued towards the bathroom. Once he’d closed and locked the door behind him, he sagged against it, squeezing his eyes shut and taking a deep, shuddering breath.

He gave himself a moment to simply breathe before he was quickly unbuckling and pushing off his pants. He bent over to examine the back of his left calf, and there it was—absolute proof that Number Four was dead.

On the back of the muscle of his calf, four circular marks formed a semi-circle. The marks looked like brands, as though someone had burned them into Akira’s skin, and each one was unique. The newest one had a swirling shape at its center, almost like a whirlpool.

Akira reached down and traced the shape with his finger, the skin feeling like a long-healed scar rather than a mark that had appeared only last night. Number Four’s death mark.

Akira felt like he should be crying or something, mourning the loss of one of his cluster mates, but he’d never known Number Four. They’d met, once, during their escape from Altea, but they’d only been four years old at the time, and the memories of his escape were dominated more by fire and screaming than the faces of his cluster.

Still…

“Your fight is over, Garde,” Akira whispered, the traditional farewell that Jin had taught him when the first death mark had shown up two years after their arrival on Earth.

He pressed his fingers to the mark for a moment longer before standing up and discarding the rest of his clothes. He’d have time to think things over more later—for now, he just needed to wash away the remnants of the night before.

~

Jin and Akira were silent as they drove through the town they’d been living in for the past few months. Akira tried to muster up some sadness or regret for leaving, but he couldn’t manage it, not with everything else on his mind.

He felt marginally guilty, though, for how abruptly he was leaving the lives of the friends he’d made here. After they’d gone out of their way to befriend him and to include him in things, he didn’t even get to say goodbye to them. He felt even guiltier when he realized he wouldn’t even really miss any of them.

He wondered, idly, what Ryan was going to say back at the party, and whether Sean regretted asking him to come. Not that it mattered. He was never going to see them again, anyway.

As they were pulling onto the interstate, Jin finally broke the silence between them.

“I haven’t made us new identities, yet,” he said, signaling to merge. “So be thinking of a new first name for yourself. I want to start creating our new covers tomorrow, so have one picked out by tonight, alright?”

Akira hummed in acknowledgement. A new name, a new town, a new everything—and yet, not a new beginning. It never felt like starting over, like he got to recreate himself again and again. It just felt like what it really was: hiding his true self deeper and deeper underneath more and more aliases and made-up histories until he barely even knew who he really was.

Who was he, anyway?

After a few miles of riding in complete silence, Jin flipped on the radio and set it to on the first station that wasn’t static. While Akira enjoyed the quiet, he couldn’t stop the small sigh of relief when the truck’s cabin was filled with the tail end of a song, offering a distraction from his thoughts.

“… -nd pray our maps and plans will bring you back to me.  
I know the only constant thing is change  
But through it all, my thoughts persist the same…”

Akira couldn’t help a small smile at that. The only constant thing in his life _was_ change. A nearly poetic coincidence that a song like this would play as Akira’s life hurtled towards change yet again.

“I’d still give it all away  
To have you stay with me all life till we  
Have to tuck each other in…”

 _Oh…_ Akira thought. _Is this a love song?_

“So if I can, may I have your hand  
Can you teach me how to dance and laugh and love  
Oh waltz me til the end…”

As the guitar continued to strum in the background, Akira propped his elbow against the passenger door. With his head in his hand, he wondered at that. Love… what was that like?

“… And that was Keith Johns with ‘Maps & Plans.’ Next up, we have…”

Akira tuned out the radio DJ after that, thinking more on the song. To dance and laugh with someone, to reach out and grab someone’s hand. To know someone fully, and even more than that, to have someone know _him_ fully. To want to spend the rest of his life with someone.

It all felt far off and unreachable to him. It almost didn’t seem real. How could _he_ ever have anything like that? But maybe… maybe he could carry a piece of it with him.  Something that he could call his own, and that would remind him of what he could only ever dream of having, if he somehow managed to survive.

Besides, Keith wasn’t a half bad name anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's chapter one! Kudos and comments are encouraged and highly appreciated<3
> 
> I can be found on tumblr as sleepyhunk if you want to chat:)
> 
> Next up: A new identity, a cute neighbor, and a boy who doesn't know when to quit.


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